An online meeting of the scientific expert club "Central Asia Plus" takes place
28/10/2020 09:54
An online meeting of the scientific expert club "Central Asia Plus" takes place
28/10/2020 09:54
Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) -- As part of the scientific and expert format "Central Asia Plus", an online meeting on the topic “Pandemic in the Central Asian region: socio-economic consequences and main political trends” was held.
The webinar, organized by the Primakov National Research Institute of World Economy and International Relations of the Russian Academy of Sciences (IMEMO RAS), was attended by 26 experts from 10 leading research institutes in Russia and Central Asian countries.
An exchange of views took place on new challenges and opportunities for the socio-economic development of the countries of the region that have arisen as a result of the impact of the novel coronavirus pandemic, as well as a discussion of the prospects for regional cooperation and interaction with Russia.
Speaking at the conference, Deputy Director of ISMI Sanjar Valiev noted that at present the states of Central Asia, as an integral part of world economic relations and the global market, are experiencing all the consequences of the crisis caused by the coronavirus pandemic.
Meanwhile, according to a representative of the ISMI, while the world is witnessing an increase in restrictive and protectionist measures, the states of Central Asia demonstrate a high level of cooperation, solidarity and mutual support.
In confirmation of his words, S. Valiyev stressed that from the first days of the spread of the coronavirus, the countries of the region have joined forces to contain the spread of infection, actively cooperated in the exchange of information in the field of health, coordinated actions in the field of transport, food security and border crossing. In his words, despite the difficult epidemiological situation, the Central Asian states provided mutual humanitarian assistance, including medicines, ventilators and personal protective equipment.
Speaking for the development of interaction between the countries of the region and Russia, Deputy Director of IMEMO RAS Sergey Afontsev noted that such intellectual platforms as the scientific expert club "Central Asia Plus" significantly contribute to this.
In his words, this is the second meeting in a row, which provided an opportunity in a circle of specially trained and motivated specialists to find answers to the questions on the agenda of relations between the Central Asian states and Russia.
The expert expressed the hope that this discussion platform will become an interesting fruitful platform and will fully meet the expectations calculated in the foreseeable future.
In turn, highly assessing the tendencies of regional cooperation, the head of the Center for Post-Soviet Studies of the IMEMO RAS, Eduard Soloviev, stressed that the ongoing positive changes in Central Asia would have been impossible without the impulses given by Uzbekistan. This is undoubtedly the great merit of President Shavkat Mirziyoyev, the expert added.
E. Soloviev pointed out that in conditions of a shortage of the most necessary funds, ranging from masks to medical equipment, Uzbekistan provided humanitarian assistance in demand at that time not only to the countries of the region, but also to Russia.
Noting the strategic importance of the region, the expert drew attention to the importance of the October 15 this year. meetings of foreign ministers of Central Asian countries and the Russian Federation. This format, E. Solovyov stressed, reflects the consolidated position of the six countries on the further development of cooperation in the field of politics, economy and culture. In his opinion, the parties have a great untapped potential for such a multifaceted interaction.
Aza Migranyan, a leading researcher at the Institute of Economics of the Russian Academy of Sciences, noted that the crisis associated with quarantine restrictions amid the coronavirus pandemic became a catalyst that demonstrated all the strengths and weaknesses of economic models in Central Asia. If in one state there is a clearly expressed policy of a complex of epidemiological measures related to the limitation of economic and business activity in the country, then in others the policy is more restrained, without the introduction of large-scale anti-COVID measures. In this regard, as the expert pointed out, the economies of the countries of the region are experiencing different levels of impact of the pandemic. In particular, in Uzbekistan, drops in growth rates are hardly noticeable, which is associated with the balance of exports and the structure of the economy by industry.
According to Bakhtiyor Ergashev, director of the Ma’no Center for Research Initiatives, the impact of coronavirus in Central Asian countries has also increased due to the fact that all countries in the region are currently experiencing a demographic rise. In this regard, the Central Asian states need to implement a holistic policy of accelerated economic modernization based on industrialization, in which the countries of the region and Russia can join forces.
According to the head of the ISMI Center Bakhtiyor Mustafayev, the coronavirus pandemic has highlighted a number of important areas of regional cooperation in Central Asia. Ties in the field of transport are of particular relevance.
The transport potential of the Central Asian states is far from being fully realized. There are a number of complex, problematic issues typical for all countries of the region, the solution of which is impossible without joint efforts.
In this context, the expert drew the participants’ attention to the initiative of the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan announced during the 75th session of the UN General Assembly to establish a Regional Center for the Development of Transport and Communication Interconnection.
According to B. Mustafayev, the implementation of this initiative will increase the efficiency of transport and transit interaction in Central Asia, which, with its rich human and resource potential, can satisfy the demand for alternative production chains and the supply of competitive goods to world markets.
Kazakhstani and Kyrgyz experts in their speeches touched upon issues related to the socio-political effects of the pandemic crisis and its impact on intraregional political, trade and economic ties and interaction with the Russian Federation.
Summing up, the experts were unanimous in the opinion that the high level of trust and mutual understanding between the countries of Central Asia and Russia made it possible to significantly minimize the negative consequences of the coronavirus.
The experts suggested continuing coordination of interaction not only within the framework of the recently launched new inter-ministerial cooperation format "Central Asia + Russia", which is promising, but also in other multilateral and bilateral formats. It was emphasized that the organization of systemic discussion platforms will facilitate the transition from intentions to practical implementation in the foreseeable future.
In this context, it was noted that the scientific and expert club "Central Asia Plus" can contribute to the development of new effective approaches and proposals of a strategic nature in strengthening the multifaceted interaction of the countries of Central Asia and Russia.
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